DraftKings NBA Picks December 18: LeBron or Wall?

SACRAMENTO, CA – OCTOBER 17: Head coach Dave Joerger of the Sacramento Kings questions a call during their game against the Utah Jazz at Golden 1 Center on October 17, 2018 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Picks December 18: LeBron or Wall?

We have a light four game Tuesday for our DraftKings NBA tournament tonight. can we make some money here to attack the Wednesday monster? There are some interesting spots here with Denver’s injury woes and three of the five worst defensive interiors in the entire league in action here.

DraftKings NBA Point Guards:

Best Bets:

John Wall ($9,800): Wall blasted the Lakers for 79.5 DraftKings points in his best game of the season on Sunday. Did he save some for Atlanta? This is another really good spot for Wall, but if this game turns into a blowout, Wall wont see anywhere near the 42 minutes that he did against the Lakers. Still, Wall could do a whole lot of damage before getting the hook here.

Spencer Dinwiddie ($7,600): Dinwiddie was pretty quiet on Sunday with Russell going off, so if you think Russell is in a great spot again, this may be a time to fade Dinwiddie. I like his game, but he is still coming off the bench, which caps the upside. This is like it was when Harrell was this price. I liked his game, but there was way too much risk involved with him coming off the bench. Dinwiddie is in a similar position, but this is a really good matchup against the Lakers.

Honorable Mention:

Jamal Murray ($6,600): Murray is still the instant offense for this team. Barton and Harris are still out, which means Murray can shoot until his arm gets tired. This is a good spot against Dallas as well. I will like it less if Murray plays off the ball, but he should be running point for much of the night.

Lonzo Ball ($6,500): Ball was back to his regular output against Washington on Sunday, but he could be in for a well above average game here against the Nets. The Nets don’t defend the point well and play fast. Still, this price seems like we would have to get a game from the upper echelon of Ball’s ability to make him worth while. Murray seems to have a lot more upside for practically the same price.

Dark Horses:

Monte Morris ($4,700): Morris continues to play a lot of minutes for the injury plagued Nuggets and has proven himself to be a solid contributor across the board. Morris has between 28 and 38 DraftKings points in every game with Gary Harris out, so he is still too cheap here. That makes him a great bargain play on a slate where those are in short supply.

Jalen Brunson ($4,100): Brunson’s days as a value play may not be completely over. Dennis Smith is doubtful for this one after making his return over the weekend. J.J. Barea is still questionable as well. That said, if Smith is out, I would expect Brunson to start and Barea to get run off the bench. Both would be viable plays, but I would like Brunson more as the starter.

My pick: Murray(PG), Morris(SG), Ball(G); Murray(PG), Morris(G)

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 16: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates a call during the second half of the game against the New York Knicks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 16, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brian Munoz/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

Victor Oladipo ($9,100): Oladipo looked just fine on Sunday, thank you. He took it to the Knicks for 57 DraftKings points, his best total since returning three games ago Oladipo put up 42.75 DraftKings points in 36 minutes against the Cavs in the first meeting. The only thing that could be the enemy of Oladipo here is the blowout potential. Still, this price seems a bit high, but on a four game slate, Oladipo is one of the best players out there, and could end up the highest scorer of the night.

Bradley Beal ($8,500): The Hawks have given up the most fantasy points in the league to shooting guards. Just ask Russell, who feasted on the Hawks on Sunday. The issue here is that Beal has someone to share the spoils with. Russell was pretty much doing it himself. You could stack the Wizards backcourt to get max exposure, but if this turns into a blowout, your key assets could be sitting down the stretch.

Honorable Mention:

D’Angelo Russell ($8,100): Want a reason to use Wall? Look no further than Russell, who lit up Atlanta for 56.5 DraftKings points in just 29 minutes on Sunday. They just trade opponents here. Both Russell and Wall could be DFS beasts again tonight.

Kent Bazemore ($6,300): Bazemore has regained his scoring role with Taurean Prince out. He has at least 30 DraftKings points in five straight games. A 43.5 DraftKings point outburst against this same Washington team kicked the streak off. I expect another strong showing from Bazemore here.

Dark Horses:

Bojan Bogdanovic ($5,200): Bojan’s consistency makes him a cash game staple, but he rarely produces enough upside, especially with Oladipo on the court, to consider in GPP formats. However, on a small slate like this, it seems foolish to completely ignore someone just because they aren’t volatile. Bojan put up 33.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Cleveland. That’s good enough for GPP usage!

Kevin Huerter ($4,300): Well, we found Huerter’s floor. It’s about 7.75 DraftKings points. The ceiling also isn’t all that high, so he seems like a fairly big risk for no real reward. However, I mentioned earlier that there isn’t much for strong value plays tonight. Huerter had seven straight games of more than 20 DraftKings points before the disaster against Brooklyn, so I’ll climb back on against the Wizards. They give up a ton of points, so the chances should be plentiful for Huerter.

My pick: Huerter(F); N/A

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 13: Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks handles the ball during the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 13, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 99-89. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Small Forwards:

Best Bet:

LeBron James ($10,600): The Nets are actually average against small forwards, which is exceptional for them. No word on how they are defensively against Kings. Well…..we kind of know. LeBron has averaged 51 DraftKings points per game in 52 career games against the Nets. It’s always a risk to fade someone like LeBron on a slate like this, but I can get on board with doing just that. If LeBron goes off though, we’re screwed.

Honorable Mention:

Luka Doncic ($7,700): Doncic is hard to pay this much for, but this is going to be a pretty fast game with Denver, who is missing three starters and at least one key bench player. Doncic has hit 49 and 50 DraftKings points over his last three games, so we know he has the ability to put up numbers that dwarf this price. Doncic has also put up 35 and 28 in the last four games. Are we going to get what we pay for here?

Kyle Kuzma ($7,500): I can pretty much guarantee that Kuzma is overpriced unless he plays the four and LeBron patrols the three. If Kuzma plays more on the inside, there is a chance that he puts up value, but Kuzma’s recent strong run has been put on the back burner with LeBron’s recent success. If you think LeBron is due for a dud by his standards, it’s probably wise to roll with Kuzma to cover this game.

Dark Horses:

Rodney Hood ($4,900): Hood is all or nothing. Always has been. Probably always will be. That said, Hood has at least 25 DraftKings points in three straight games. Add in the fact that Hood racked up 31.75 on the Pacers the first time around, and that makes Hood an interesting value pick. He could also pull a Nemanja and destroy your lineup by 6:20 eastern.

Joe Harris ($4,900): Call Harris the anti-Hood. Harris is a strong play whenever he gets minutes. The looming return of Crabbe puts this up in the air a bit, but if Crabbe is out or limited, I’m still on Harris. He has 64.75 DraftKings points in the two games with Crabbe out. Harris has played so well that Brooklyn may end up leaving him in there and running small even when Crabbe returns. Keep an eye on that starting lineup.

My pick: James(SF); Doncic(SF), Harris(SG)

ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 05: John Collins #20 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts after being charged with a foul against the Washington Wizards at State Farm Arena on December 5, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

John Collins ($7,900): Washington is decimated up front, so this is a smash spot for Collins. Collins put up 45 DraftKings points on this same team 13 days ago, and hasn’t really slowed down since. Boston is the only team that has held Collins under 42 DraftKings points since that meeting with Washington. Collins’ streak continues here.

Domantas Sabonis ($6,900): Sabonis was kept in check by Cleveland earlier this year, but that was Thompson that locked him down. He wont be on the court tonight, so there is a very good chance that Sabonis has a much better game this time around. That said, I wouldn’t play the enigmatic Myles Turner. Sabonis or nothing here.

Honorable Mention:

Thaddeus Young ($6,200): The price on Young is dangerous here. He put up some really big numbers against Philly and Milwaukee, but came up short against the Knicks. Cleveland isn’t great without Love and Thompson, but they aren’t as weak as Philly and Milwaukee either. Young could hit value hit, but if he does, it wont be by a lot.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ($5,700): Wherever they put him, he produces. RHJ has at least 30 DraftKings points in three of the last four games. This is a good spot for him against the Lakers. I also see RHJ going relatively unnoticed here. He’s not a flashy player, but I’ll take a sure 30 in this spot.

Markieff Morris ($5,100): This is an interesting spot for Morris against Atlanta. Morris isn’t a true center, but you can kind of argue that Dedmon isn’t either. This is one of those spots where they could both beat up on each other or both fail miserably. I’m leaning more towards Atlanta here, but Morris is priced right and just came off the injury report entirely.

Dark Horses:

Jeff Green ($4,800): This is a big spot to watch here. Otto Porter is doubtful. Markieff could be out again. D12 is still a pain in the ass. I’m only off of Green if Markieff is not limited or if Ariza makes his Wizards debut tonight. Actually, if Ariza comes in and starts this game, I’ll take Ariza instead of Green. Their prices are close enough.

Rodions Kurucs ($4,000): Kurucs has been very solid for the price over the last few games. If Crabbe returns, it’s going to tighten the minutes of the bench quite a bit, so keep an eye on that if you are looking at Kurucs for a value pick. He has hit 5x value in three straight games now.

Sam Dekker ($3,800): Dekker was huge against the Lakers on Sunday in the depleted Washington frontcourt. I have a feeling that Ariza is going to hog the minutes when he gets here, but if he isn’t in uniform, we could actually see Dekker outdo Green again. Keep an eye on this one.

My pick: Collins(PF); N/A

DENVER, COLORADO – DECEMBER 16: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets plays the Toronto Raptors at the Pepsi Center on December 16, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Center

Best Bet:

Nikola Jokic ($9,700): Jokic is so good at every aspect of the game that even though Jordan is going to limit his rebounds, Jokic will get enough points and assists that we will barely notice. If you want a late night hammer, Jokic is the guy just like Tobias Harris was last night. I expect a similarly big output from Jokic.

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Honorable Mention:

Larry Nance ($6,000): Embiid, not normally known for his defense, abused Nance on Sunday. Maybe it’s because Nance is probably better off at the four. No matter. I don’t expect the same treatment here at the hands of Turner. Most will be off Nance tonight, but I see a pretty clear path to value here.

Dewayne Dedmon ($5,600): Dedmon ravaged Brooklyn (SHOCKER!) on Sunday, and could do the same to a woefully undermanned Washington front. Dedmon has been playing around 30 minutes per game. So long as he gets that here, Dedmon is going to blow by 6 value here, making him my favorite mid range play.

Jarrett Allen ($5,500): Allen has struggled in positions where he should have dominated in each of the last four games. He did fine against the Knicks, but a combined 63.5 DraftKings points against the Hawks, Wizards, and Embiid is horrible. It’s hard to get back on the Allen wagon after that. If he’s going to break the funk, it should be here though.

Dark Horses:

JaVale McGee ($4,700): McGee should be good to go here, so I really like him against the Nets. I mean….its the Nets. HE’S PLAYING THE NETS! Fire up McGee. Hell, fire up Tyson Chandler if you need salary relief. You could even throw Vlade Divac, Kurt Rambis, and Bill Walton out there too. In their current state, they could still ravage the Nets.

Thomas Bryant ($3,700): Bryant is the only true center on the Wizards roster right now, but he’s not playing that many minutes. He beat up on the Lakers for 30.75 DraftKings points in 28 minutes against the Lakers. Bryant did worse than that to the Hawks. In their first meeting, Bryant only played 21 minutes, but he racked up 33.25 DraftKings points. I really like Bryant as a value play. I just wish Morris wouldn’t poach all of his minutes.

My pick: Dedmon(C), Bryant(UTIL); Jokic(C), Nance(F), McGee(UTIL), Dedmon(PF)

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